


Definition of a Partner

by aickerman_s



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Universe, F/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 09:29:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15992429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aickerman_s/pseuds/aickerman_s
Summary: "write rivamika sitting alone around a campfire discussing future plans and strategy but with some fEeLiNgS huhuhu. Maybe Levi praises Mikasa for acting quickly? Welcome back to snk land!"◥DIE-FORELLEXThank you @die-forellex for the prompt! And for the welcome :’) It’s good to be back!





	Definition of a Partner

**Author's Note:**

  * For [die-forellex (heatinfreezing)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heatinfreezing/gifts).



Somewhere deep in the forest, alone in the dead of night, Mikasa sat by her weak little fire hugging her knees. Her eyes never rested, scanning the unseen reaches beyond her safe perimeter of firelight; left to right, and back again. She knew that the moment she stopped watching, her eyes would fall shut. It was all she could do to stave off the sleep.

A shaky sigh revealed a cloud of frozen breath, and she shuffled herself closer to the dimming flame. She pulled her scarf tighter around her with one hand, before resting it back on the handle of her blade, lying ready by her side. Reaching out, she held her other hand inches from the fire; she had to, to get the heat.

As she watched the soft, pulsing glow of the remaining embers, she felt her head tilt forward, and her sight begin to grow dim… A jolt - her head shot upright, and her eyes snapped back open.

‘Shit…’ Mikasa groaned to herself, violently shaking her head.

Somewhere behind her, a little to the left, a rustling began in the trees. As fast as her lethargy-ridden body could move, Mikasa snapped up the blade, and twisted round to face the source. A beat of sweat ran down the creases of her frown.

She waited. Silence. And then, faintly, footsteps through long grass. Louder… approaching…

‘Who’s there?’ Mikasa called. The noise was infuriatingly close and yet she still couldn’t see.

She began to lift herself up off the ground, grimacing and grunting as she did. She got to a crouch until a voice stopped her.

‘Wait, Mikasa, it’s me,’ a familiar shade of brown boots stepped into her small circle of light, ‘don’t hurt yourself.’

Levi approached cautiously, his hand held out ahead of him. His expression was calm, concerned.

Mikasa let out a shaky breath, ‘Captain…’ She slumped back down to the ground, clutching her side. ‘How did you find me?’

Levi kneeled close beside her, looking her up and down. ‘That doesn’t matter now. Are you hurt?’

‘A little. I’m fine, it’s just… I guess my ribs haven’t quite healed yet.’

‘You shouldn’t have took off on your own like that. You should have waited for me.’

Mikasa avoided his eyes. ‘I know.’ Levi raised an eyebrow at her easy admittance. ‘But if I hadn’t lured that titan away then you would’ve-‘

‘It doesn’t matter what might have happened. You don’t endanger yourself for me, got it?’

Mikasa looked at him then, dumbly. ‘But… That’s what we do, right?’

‘What?’

‘You and me, I mean. You’ve risked your life for me plenty of times, Captain.’

Levi watched her with a curious look. He chewed on his words.

Mikasa looked back to the fire. ‘I just thought… We’re like partners… aren’t we?’

Levi scoffed and settled down next to her. Silence ruled them for some moments, briefly interrupted by the dying cracks of the flame.

‘Why did you set up camp? Why not find your way out?’ Levi asked. Mikasa’s head shot up, bewildered. She’d almost fallen asleep.

She stifled a yawn. ‘I’m almost out of gas. I would just get lost in the dark, so I thought I’d wait ‘till morning.’

‘Hmm,’ Levi nodded. He sighed, and stood. ‘I’ll try and gather some more wood. I won’t be long.’

‘Okay.’

He picked out the last surviving stick from the fire, leaving enough kindling alight for Mikasa, and made his way back to the tree line. He didn’t wander too far, making sure he could always see Mikasa from where he was.

By the time he got back, cradling a disappointing bundle of twigs and sticks, Mikasa had slumped down on her side, and fallen into a deep sleep.

Levi refuelled the fire, rekindling the flame and stirring it slowly back to life.

 _Partners_ , he thought. He played around with the word in his mind, hearing it in her voice, then hearing it in his. It sounded foreign, strange, yet he liked it. He spent a good while trying to think of the last person he was able to call a partner. No one had ever matched his skill like Mikasa could, nowhere close. He’d had teams – teammates, subordinates… No partners.

His mind wandered to his days roaming the underground with Isabel and Furlan, and smiled. Partners-in-crime, perhaps.

He thought of Hange, and Erwin. Friends. Respected, admired colleagues. But not really… _partners._

He thought back to his previous squad, and to Petra. His smile faded a little. He wondered if they might have been partners, one day.

And then he thought of Mikasa. He watched her as she slept. It was the most peaceful he had ever seen her. Levi wondered at how he had never thought of them as a team before… yet it was so obvious. Humanity’s strongest soldier, and the girl worth a hundred, fighting side by side. They were the perfect duo.

He hadn’t admitted it, but he had put a lot of trust in Mikasa recently. And he knew that she did too. She’s grown a lot, he thought, and so had their relationship.

He smirked to himself at the word. _Relationship_ … He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit she was beautiful, of course she was. One of the most beautiful creatures he’d ever seen. Certainly not a bad face to have by your side all the time. He found himself wondering if she ever felt the same…

Mikasa gasped and flinched as she woke with a start, breathing hard through her nose and searching all around her. Her panic faded as she saw Levi sitting beside her.

‘Did I fall asleep?’ She croaked.

‘Yes. Don’t worry about it. We’ll wait till dawn and return on foot.’ Levi lowered himself down by the fire, hands folded across his stomach, and his eyes closed against the stars. ‘You should get some rest, partner.’

Mikasa couldn’t help the smile that curled her lips. She lay herself back down on to the grass, and slipped back into a peaceful slumber, safe now that Levi was by her side.


End file.
